


Perceptive Puppy

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Battle, Canon-Typical Violence, Concern, Gen, Hiding Injuries, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-11-23 22:36:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20897249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: Kakashi is used to concealing his hurts, especially those that are hardly severe enough to hamper him much. He is not accustomed to receiving this level of concern when he does.





	Perceptive Puppy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Whumptober](https://whumptober2019.tumblr.com/post/187785964678/whumptober2019-october-approaches-and-so-does), Day 24: Secret Injury
> 
> While not part of my [Training Sakura](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1187928) series, this is set in a similar canon divergence. Post-Team-7's dissolution Kakashi was left with only Sakura as his student/shadow.

Sakura dodged backwards, then again, leaping rather than take a step onto the suspiciously disturbed ground she’d already noted. The flash of frustration across her opponent’s face assured her it had been the right choice. She twisted and kicked off a branch, gaining speed with the rebound and passing over the enemy nin’s head quicker than he expected, and so avoiding the slash of his blades.

It was only seconds, _less_, but by the time he had whirled to face Sakura she had a jutsu already rising to smash him in the face. Her sensei trained _speed_ and Sakura was a _good_ student. She grinned fiercely and then let out a sharp yip as she ducked out of the way of a blow from a new opponent. She drew her kodachi and moved cleanly into a swing, trading blows with the enemy nin for a few moments, none of them making contact on either side.

Sakura froze, not needing to look around, the skin down her neck and across her shoulders prickling. As soon as the sensation registered she threw herself into a crouch, almost losing hold of her kodachi in the process, and squeezed her eyes closed.

She ignored both the jeering laugh from above and her enemy taking a step closer, because a moment later-

The spillover from a powerful suiton jutsu swept over her head and smashed into the enemy nin. Sakura bounced to her feet as soon as it passed, damp in a few spots but unharmed, springing instantly back into the flow of battle, taking advantage of the disarray Kakashi-sensei’s jutsu had left behind to pepper a few vulnerable spots with senbon.

Kakashi-sensei was no longer looking this way, of course - though Sakura was well aware nothing on the field of battle would be escaping his notice - and Sakura smiled faintly, proud that he trusted in her strength enough to leave the follow up blow to her.

The smile dropped as she focused on defending herself. Sakura’s kenjutsu was solid, but she had only been learning it for less than a year, and even with chakra to push into her muscles to hold off the attacking strikes, Sakura was _small_ and her reach short; it took more energy to counter her enemy’s strikes. She fought hard, keeping track of the terrain and the nin near her as best she could, vaguely aware of her sensei fighting hard further away.

Sakura’s attention was drawn in tight as she was caught in a clinch, forced to fight against her enemy’s larger and longer sword, greater weight, and thicker muscle to keep the blade from her throat. Kakashi-sensei had trained her well though and she had always been good at keeping calm in a tight corner, and she kept her head until she found - _made_ \- a narrow opening in his guard, sliding away before the pressure could send the blade down and into her shoulder.

She kept moving, wincing occasionally as the force of the locked swords jarred her bones, until she had a better angle from which to move and had twisted her opponent around until he was off balance. A quick twist brought her kodachi sliding along his wrist, drawing blood though it wasn’t a deep wound, and Sakura was already moving away as he yelped in pain.

Sakura choked back a scream as she freed her blade fully and looked up, only to see a doton jutsu crashing down at her, too close to-

Then Kakashi-sensei was there, with a flash of silver and blue and flak jacket green, his hands flickering through seals, intercepting the wall of rock and earth. Sakura shuddered and let out a sharp little breath as she stared at the spiral between Kakashi-sensei’s shoulders, but allowed herself no more reaction time than that before she hurriedly resumed her fight. Kakashi-sensei followed up his jutsu with another, a doton that surged up and all but tangled around the nin who had nearly crushed Sakura and one of the others, then contracted with an unpleasant, muffled crunch.

Sakura grimaced, even as her kodachi made contact and she angled her arms and flared her chakra into them and past, along the blade in a directed fuuton - it was not her best skill, but she could do simple things with it. The blade cracked through bone with little resistance, and Sakura cringed as more than half of her opponent’s left arm dropped to the dirt.

But he wouldn’t be making seals and sending jutsu at her sensei’s back again.

Sakura didn’t let herself react any further, though her stomach was knotted uncomfortably; the battle wasn’t over yet.

They came out victorious in the end, of course, Kakashi-sensei and Sakura the only ones left standing. They always did, though Sakura was too smart to ever _count_ on that.

She held her kodachi tight as she looked over the battlefield and the fallen nin, searching out any sign of life among them. There was none to her eyes, but she cut her gaze to her sensei, waiting.

Kakashi-sensei nodded shallowly, and Sakura relaxed, breathing easier. She cleaned her kodachi efficiently as Kakashi-sensei picked scrolls from their enemies’ bodies and rifled through them, burning several and tucking two more away into his own pockets. “Mission complete.” he said as he rose, patting his pocket. “Time to-”

Sakura darted to him and flung her arms around him, relieved. Kakashi-sensei twitched with a tiny flare of tension, then relaxed again, resting one hand on her back and giving her a light hug in return. “You did well, pup.” he praised, and Sakura clung a little tighter, taking a shaky breath. She nodded, and he petted her hair.

Sakura gathered herself and stepped back again, flushing a little. Kakashi-sensei smiled at her and ruffled her hair, laughing softly as she whined. He signalled her away and they both quickly went about collecting all the thrown weaponry that was in decent condition, clearing up any traces of _them_, though they left the bodies.

Sakura flinched a few times as something shifted under her left foot, her ankle throbbing painfully, but it was solid beneath her and she finished her task promptly.

“Time to head home.” Kakashi-sensei said, and Sakura nodded, smiling.

“Come here,” Kakashi-sensei said, beckoning, “I’ll carry you back. You shouldn’t stress that.” He gestured at her feet.

Sakura shook her head and plopped down on the dirt, frowning a bit. “It’ll be fine, Kakashi-sensei. I just need to wrap it. It’s not broken, just. . .” She winced. “Hurts.”

Kakashi-sensei made an unhappy sound, the fine wrinkles around his eye tightening in an equally unhappy expression. He dropped down to one knee and ran his fingers lightly down Sakura’s calf to her ankle as she stilled.

His fingers felt cool, and when he squeezed gently she gasped at both the pain and the hard throb of her pulse there, but Kakashi-sensei huffed. “It’s solid and the joint’s aligned.” he agreed. “Very well, pup.” he said, moving back and watching as she wrapped it herself. “If you _falter_. . .”

“I won’t!” Sakura said hurriedly as she regained her feet, nodding firmly.

Kakashi-sensei made a non-committal sound, sliding his hand over her shoulders and nudging her forwards. Once Sakura would have been hurt and uncertain; now she knew Kakashi-sensei was only concerned for her, and if he demanded she stop trying to run it would be because he didn’t want her to hurt herself - not because he thought she was weak, or couldn’t keep up.

Sakura bumped her shoulder lightly into Kakashi-sensei’s arm and glanced up just in time to catch the fleeting crease of his eye into a smile as he made a soft grumbly noise. She smiled herself as she turned forwards once more. Kakashi-sensei wasn’t so very difficult to understand, really, he was just _strange_, she thought. Sakura took a deep breath and centred herself so when she ran she wouldn’t put too much weight on her weak ankle, then began to pick up speed, Kakashi-sensei a steady presence at her side and just behind.

* * *

Kakashi slowed gratefully as they approached Konoha’s gates. It was hardly the worst injury he’d travelled with, nor had he needed to push himself too much for speed this time, but it had still not been his most pleasant trip back, and cracked ribs were always a special kind of discomfort.

He ruffled Sakura’s hair, hiding a laugh when she whined a playful protest under his hand - she didn’t even try to duck away, though. She never did. To the contrary, she nudged her head into his palm, then shifted closer under his arm and bumped into his side. He kept his breathing steady, though his fingers twitched in her soft hair, and his smile faltered briefly.

The affectionate gesture rarely failed to make him smile; it was something she had picked up from him, he suspected, besides. Something he’d never observed from her before the first time she shouldered into him with playful enthusiasm.

Right _now_, however. . . Kakashi smiled at his pup and tried to breathe without filling his lungs completely, waiting for the sharp throb of heat in his ribs to ease. “Go ahead and run home, pup.” he told her as they left the gate guards behind. “And _rest your ankle_.” he ordered.

“Yes, sensei!” Sakura said, glancing down at her ankle. It was slightly swollen even in the snug, steadying bandages she had applied before they began the run home. “The mission report?”

“Maa, tomorrow is soon enough for that.” Kakashi said lightly, and laughed when Sakura huffed a tiny note of disapproval. “Off home, pup.”

“Remember to rest, sensei!” Sakura insisted, narrowing her eyes at him, and Kakashi snorted, but nodded and brushed his hand over her shoulder. Sakura smiled brightly and hugged him once more - his ribs lit up with pain at the pressure - then stepped back and turned away with a wave. “See you tomorrow!”

Kakashi watched her for a moment as she picked up into a run, then pulled his book from his pouch and turned his own steps towards the hospital. His chest throbbed with every step, every breath, and it was only long experience that assured him nothing deeper was damaged.

* * *

Kakashi came awake to the sounds of someone else in his room, and cracked his eye open. He was startled to see a fluff of pink near his face, and opened his eye the rest of the way as he shifted away a little.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura cried, dropping the pink and yellow flowers she held on the table beside his bed. “Why didn’t you _tell me_ you were hurt?” she asked, her eyes wide and- and _wet_, oh _no_.

Kakashi squirmed and tugged his sheet up higher as he sank down in the bed. “Maa. . . It’s not so bad.” he told Sakura as he angled the sheet up past his nose, eyeing her.

“You got hurt because of _me_!” Sakura cried, sniffling, and Kakashi’s eye widened.

“No, no,” he said as soothingly as he could, “it’s-”

“You _did_! You got smashed by that doton jutsu that I wasn’t fast enough to dodge! That was what did it, isn’t it?” Sakura sniffled again, looking at him with painfully earnest eyes. “You got hurt so _I_ wouldn’t. They said- Tsunade-sama said-”

“It’s all right. I’ve had many cracked ribs before,” Kakashi told her, giving her his best attempt at a confident smile behind the mask and sheet, “I’ll be fine.”

Sakura’s eyes grew bigger and wetter, and Kakashi swallowed uncomfortably.

“Ah. . . Pup?” Kakashi tried uncertainly.

“_Sensei_. . .” Sakura said, her voice wobbly. “That’s not _better_! Tsunade-sama said almost half your ribs were broken!”

“I’ll be healed in no time. . .” Kakashi soothed, edging sideways a little on the bed, further back, away from his fretting pup. “We’ll be on another mission before you know it.” Sadly true, though he wished he could have said ‘back to training’ instead. Sakura could use more downtime than she got between missions, especially the kind they had been on recently.

Sakura sniffled loudly, whimpering and scrubbing at her face with one hand as a few tears spilled down her cheeks. “And _I hurt you_!” she almost wailed, though her voice was soft.

Kakashi blinked. “. . .pup?” he questioned gently, lifting his head a little, letting the sheet slip away again.

“You didn’t say anything! And I didn’t _notice_ when I hugged you! I must have hurt you!” Sakura took half a step towards him, then whined and stopped again.

Oh.

“It’s all right, pup.” Kakashi soothed, reaching out. Sakura hesitated, and he pushed himself higher in the bed, keeping his expression clear - it was only a dull ache now anyway, he hadn’t been lying when he’d told her he’d be all healed soon; Tsunade was very efficient and she needed him mission-ready again soon. “Come here.” He tilted his head.

Sakura sniffed, but didn’t need to be told twice. She scrambled up on the side of his bed rather than just coming up to it as he’d expected, but Kakashi didn’t protest.

“I’m sorry, sensei.” Sakura said softly, muffled against his shoulder as he tugged her in close.

“Shush.” Kakashi hummed against her hair, wrapping one arm around her even as he sagged back against the raised head of the bed. “You didn’t cause me any harm.”

“Are you sure?” Sakura asked quietly, lifting her head and leaning tentatively against his shoulder.

Kakashi hummed affirmatively as he hugged her tighter, resting his chin atop her head. Sakura sighed and wrapped her arms around him very lightly in return. “You’re fine, pup.” Kakashi murmured, rubbing her back as she pulled away. She smiled at him, a little shaky, her eyes still bright with tears, but no longer so clouded with distress. Kakashi sighed with relief, wincing as he breathed a little too deeply.

Sakura frowned at him, but didn’t say anything else, sliding off the bed and turning back to the flowers she had brought. He shook his head slightly, watching her.

“Will you really be healed up soon?” Sakura asked, glancing sideways at Kakashi as she neatened the little bouquet and settled it in a vase.

“Promise.” Kakashi offered, and she smiled at him.


End file.
